Lifestyle

Kat Kalashian has grown up around the world, living in the United States, Ireland, France, and Panama, and has traveled extensively in her few years. Growing up as a young expat she is familiar with the trials and tribulations of an overseas move and the adjustments that must be made in every new destination. Living and learning through experience, she now considers no one place home and feels more comfortable in new environments than in familiar ones. After living in Panama for seven years, where she enjoyed living for a stint in the tropics, she and her husband relocated back to Paris, France, in 2018 where they now live full-time with their American-born cat, Panamanian-born dog, and French-born daughter. Her post as Special Projects Manager of Live and Invest Overseas keeps her busy… whether it’s spearheading a big new product, MCing Live and Invest conferences, or scouting out new locations for coverage, she’s always on the move and eager to discover new things. 

Jeff and Joch met in 2007 while volunteering on the board of a San Francisco non-profit organization. It sounds silly to say so, but their eyes met at that first meeting. Both knew their lives would be connected. Jeff worked at the Hilton in the financial district and Joch traveled internationally as a mentor/trainer of behavioral health group facilitators. Jeff lived in nearby Vallejo and Joch lived in Oakland. It wasn’t long before they rented a work/live loft in the Jingle-town area of Oakland and watched their cats, who thought they were solo divas, learn how to be sisters. 

During their first few dates one thing was clear- they both enjoyed travel and dreamed of retiring together. They started an ever-growing list of distant countries and cities each wanted to visit. 

Jeff and Joch married in 2013, five weeks after the Supreme Court decision legalizing same sex marriage in the US. Jeff had transitioned to a career with the state of California in the Employment Development Department, the largest agency of the state. Ultimately all career paths with the state lead to the capital city. Jeff and Joch bought a home in nearby Elk Grove and friendships thrived in a back yard that featured a pool, hot tub and fire pit. 

Joch turned 70 in 2019. The stories and dreams about retirement began to feel real. Jeff suggested a January birthday trip to consider moving to Portugal. They flew to the Algarve, spent a couple of weeks exploring, visited Lisboa for three days and enjoyed a day in Sintra. They added two days and an overnight in Dublin on their return home. The trip clarified a vision to retire and to move to Portugal. 

May 2019 was when Joch finally retired and hung up his trainer’s hat. Jeff suggested attendance at the LAIO annual conference in Houston. He thought attendance would assist the couple in formulating a plan. And Jeff certainly was right. After comparing Portugal to numerous other retirement destinations Portugal remained the right decision for both of them. They met João G Gil Figuera, a lawyer with GFDL, who became their facilitator during the visa and residency process. They met Luis da Silva of Senior Living Villages who supported their community discovery and apartment selection process. They met friends from other parts of the US who remain in contact to this day. They moved to Portugal a year ago and reside in Braga. Their forever condo apartment is being built as they practice their Portuguese and plot post-pandemic trips around the world.